NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of NetEase, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTES) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $156.1250.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NTES. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $155.00 price target on shares of NetEase in a report on Friday, November 21st. Benchmark increased their target price on NetEase from $145.00 to $158.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Wall Street Zen cut NetEase from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, November 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NetEase in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Barclays set a $135.00 price objective on NetEase and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On NetEase

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NTES. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake in NetEase by 137.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 185 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of NetEase by 266.0% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 194 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of NetEase during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of NetEase in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of NetEase in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.07% of the company’s stock.

NetEase Stock Performance

NetEase stock opened at $131.57 on Thursday. NetEase has a 1 year low of $88.54 and a 1 year high of $159.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $138.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.93. The company has a market cap of $83.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.67.

NetEase Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. NetEase’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.99%.

NetEase Company Profile

NetEase, Inc (NASDAQ: NTES) is a Chinese technology company headquartered in Hangzhou that develops and operates Internet services and products. Founded in 1997 by William Ding (Ding Lei), the company has grown from an early web portal and e-mail provider into a diversified online services group. William Ding has served as the company’s founder and long-time leader, guiding its expansion into games, digital content and consumer services.

The company’s primary business is interactive entertainment: NetEase Games designs, develops and publishes PC and mobile games for domestic and international audiences, offering a mix of self-developed franchises and titles published under licensing and strategic partnerships.